Desoxyn

What is Desoxyn®?
Marketed under the brand Desoxyn®, Methamphetamine HCl functions as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and has been FDA approved for the treatment of attention deficity hyperactivity disorder in adults and children, as well as for obesity.

Physicians hesitate to prescribe Desoxyn® because of its very high potential for abuse and addiction. It is usually tried out after other stimulants, such as adderall and dexedrine have been tried and failed to work.

How Does Desoxyn® Work?
Although it is not known exactly how Desoxyn® works, it is believed to increase the flow of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, chemicals that carry the signal between neurons (cells of the nervous system). This can result in an increase in a person’s ability to focus over extended periods of time.

Desoxyn® vs Adderall®
Because of its addictiveness, Desoxyn® will normally only be prescribed when Adderall® and other medications have failed to work. Even then, doctors are generally very hesitant to prescribe it. Desoxyn® last longer in one’s system than Adderall® and so one’s last dosage must normally be earlier in the day. It is also thought that Desoxyn® has less effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and causes greater dopamine release than Adderall®.

How Do I Take Desoxyn®?
Methamphetamine HCl comes in tablets of 5 mg each. Normally, patients start with one tablet and day and this is only increased if the medication is not working. The goal is to ensure that the smallest effective dosage is used. This medication is a stimulant and will cause sleep difficulties if taken too late in the day.

Due to the controlled nature of this drug, Desoxyn® is now only available in short acting tablets and is very expensive.

Is Desoxyn® Effective for Adult ADHD?
Desoxyn® has been used to treat ADHD in both adults for many years and several studies have shown it to be an effective treatment.

Desoxyn® Minor Side Effects
Common side effects are similar to those typically associated with the use of stimulants, and include:
· Loss of appetite
· Irritability and Restlessness
· Dry mouth
· Difficulty falling asleep
· Diarrhea or Constipation
· Weight loss
· Upset Stomach

Desoxyn® Precautions
Desoxyn® should be avoid in people with a history of heart problems.

Addiction & Abuse
This medication has been extensively abused and so is subject to control under DEA Schedule II. Tolerance develops to Desoxyn® easily and it one can’t suddenly stop taking it.

Pregnancy Category C
Desoxyn® is a category C drug and as such should not be used by women who are pregnant or may get pregnant.

Desoxyn® Withdrawal
Like most stimulants, when one stops taking them, it can cause feeling of extreme exhaustion.

Comments

I’ve been to 6 different doctors, and all prescribed Desoxyn at different times (I moved a few times, among other reasons). All of them thought highly of Desoxyn when I mentioned I was on it, and refilled my prescriptions without any hesitation whatsoever. It is no more addictive than any other amphetamine. In fact, according to the DEA’s own lab analysis of DEA labs nationwide, 60-70% of “methamphetamine” sold on the street is unmethylated amphetamine only sold as “meth,” not actually meth– making Adderall closer to what’s on the street.

And in what are effectively blind taste tests done since the 50’s in published books on the pharmacology of amphetamines, drug addicts can’t tell the difference between Ritalin, Adderall or Methamphetamine when they’re given either one of these drugs and told to report what it is. Dealers know this, so they often don’t bother to make methylated amphetamine. Congress knows this, which is why the METH Act treats unmethylated amphetamine with the same punishment as methylated amphetamine. The DEA permits Desoxyn to be sold for a therapeutic use precisely because it has not been SCIENTIFICALLY demonstrated, ever, to be more addictive or habituating than amphetamine.

I am recently realizeing I have all the symptoms of adhd .
as a child I had desoxn prescribed by a pharmacist in Phila .Pa.
I am athleteically built , some people have called me”skinny”.
I hgave never been able to get desoxn since the 80s.I thankyou kindly Alan
Anderson for your well written article.

I live in BC, Canada. Short acting Dexedrine script Got professional diagnosis (psychiatric specialist for for Adult ADHD) in ’95. Dex. is “o.k.” but it never provides the emotional centring of M-amp does. Unfortunately, Desoxyn is not a prescription that is available in Canada except “possibly” via a program with our federal government for “special access.” I will be pursuing this.

I’ve been off and on adhd meds all my life, dextroamphetamine, adderall, Ritalin, and vyvanse. I’m about to turn 30 and throughout my 20s I had no insurance and would have to pay out of pocket for doctor visits and medicine. I feel like if this was easier to diagnose to put the actual people who needs these meds on them we can strive to anything, I literally was a straight A student in middle school and high school, then my dad lost his job and insurance went away and I went completely downhill. Now I struggle just to find meds the wrong way because I can’t afford it doing it the legal way. Last prescription I was on recently was vyvanse, until the company I worked for went bankrupt. Now I’m back in the situation where I have no drive and my mind is scrambled, I’ve always wanted to try desoxyn because it has less side effects then a lot of the others. I’ve realized that being on certain add meds also helped with my insomnia also. Hopefully with my new job, I can get back on track and be prescribed the right med that will keep me moving forward instead of constantly falling behind.